LAS CRUCES, New Mexico, November 6, 2026: New Mexico State women’s basketball guard Emma Christiano produced one of the most astonishing mistakes of the college basketball season on Friday, accidentally scoring into her own team’s basket with approximately 20 seconds remaining while the Aggies trailed Southern Utah by one point. The senior guard chased down a loose ball following an inbound pass and made what appeared to be a routine layup, only to discover that she had scored for the opposition. The mistake handed Southern Utah a 63-60 advantage, leaving New Mexico State facing what appeared to be a disastrous defeat at the Pan American Center.
But the game was far from over. Freshman forward Stacy Chovino scored twice in the closing seconds, including the winning layup with just two seconds remaining, as New Mexico State completed an extraordinary 64-63 comeback. Chovino finished with a career-high 25 points and eight rebounds, helping the Aggies secure their first victory under head coach Adeniyi Amadou. The home team had trailed for virtually the entire afternoon, including an eleven-point deficit entering the fourth quarter, yet led for precisely the final two seconds. What began as a viral basketball blunder became a remarkable example of a team refusing to surrender.
New Mexico State’s Own-Basket Mistake: What Actually Happened?
The incident occurred during the final 21 seconds of a close women’s college basketball game between New Mexico State and Southern Utah.
The Aggies were trailing 61-60 when Southern Utah attempted to inbound the basketball.
Story at a glance
New Mexico State’s Own-Basket Mistake: What Actually Happened?
The incident occurred during the final 21 seconds of a close women’s college basketball game between New Mexico State and Southern Utah.
New Mexico State 64-63 Southern Utah: Full Game Result
The game took place at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico, before an official attendance of 1,260.
From 61-60 to 64-63: The Final Seconds That Defied Belief
With time running out, New Mexico State needed one successful scoring possession to move ahead.
Emma Christiano: One Mistake That Almost Overshadowed an Entire Team
Christiano is a senior guard from Las Cruces who joined New Mexico State after previously representing New Mexico Highlands.
Stacy Chovino: The Freshman Who Saved New Mexico State
Stacy Chovino deserves considerably more attention than the viral mistake.
New Mexico State’s Stacy Chovino disrupted the play, with the ball becoming loose near the basket Southern Utah was attacking.
Emma Christiano reacted quickly, reached the ball and finished a layup.
There was only one problem.
She had put the ball into New Mexico State’s own basket.
Instead of giving the Aggies a 62-61 lead, the shot added two points to Southern Utah’s score.
The Thunderbirds now led 63-60.
Christiano immediately recognized the mistake. Television footage showed the guard visibly distressed while teammates and commentators reacted in disbelief.
The ESPN+ broadcast captured the confusion as the play unfolded. Analyst Anita Maxwell Skipper recognized the problem while the initial play-by-play call briefly suggested that New Mexico State had taken the lead.
It was an extraordinary lapse of court awareness at the worst possible moment.
But the most important part of the story is what happened next.
New Mexico State 64-63 Southern Utah: Full Game Result
The game took place at the Pan American Center in Las Cruces, New Mexico, before an official attendance of 1,260.
Southern Utah controlled much of the contest and appeared positioned to win after carrying an eleven-point advantage into the final quarter.
New Mexico State then outscored the visitors 25-13 in the fourth period to complete the comeback.
| Match Detail | Verified Information |
|---|---|
| Competition | NCAA Division I women’s basketball |
| Date | Friday, November 6, 2026 |
| Venue | Pan American Center, Las Cruces |
| Final score | New Mexico State 64-63 Southern Utah |
| Halftime | Southern Utah led 37-31 |
| Third-quarter score | Southern Utah led 50-39 |
| Leading scorer | Stacy Chovino, New Mexico State, 25 points |
| Own-basket incident | Emma Christiano, approximately 20 seconds remaining |
| Winning basket | Stacy Chovino, two seconds remaining |
| New Mexico State’s record | 1-1 |
| Southern Utah’s record | 1-1 |
| Attendance | 1,260 |
| New Mexico State head coach | Adeniyi Amadou |
The official New Mexico State Athletics postgame report confirms Chovino’s winning basket, the final result and the extraordinary fact that the Aggies led for only two seconds.
From 61-60 to 64-63: The Final Seconds That Defied Belief
With time running out, New Mexico State needed one successful scoring possession to move ahead.
Instead, the own basket increased Southern Utah’s lead to three points.
The Aggies suddenly needed another scoring response while having almost no time remaining.
Chovino supplied it.
First, she scored to narrow the deficit to 63-62.
New Mexico State then pressured Southern Utah into another turnover, creating one final opportunity.
Chovino capitalized with a putback layup to put the Aggies ahead 64-63 with two seconds left.
Southern Utah attempted a final shot, but the ball missed the rim.
The comeback was complete.
The Final Scoring Sequence
| Situation | New Mexico State | Southern Utah | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Before the own basket | 60 | 61 | Aggies trail by one |
| Christiano scores in wrong basket | 60 | 63 | Southern Utah’s lead grows to three |
| Chovino scores | 62 | 63 | Aggies reduce deficit to one |
| Chovino scores with two seconds left | 64 | 63 | New Mexico State take first lead |
| Final possession | 64 | 63 | Southern Utah miss at the buzzer |
TSE statistical finding: New Mexico State scored the final four points after the own basket and overturned a three-point deficit in approximately 20 seconds.
Even more remarkably, the Aggies’ only lead of the game lasted two seconds.
The outcome also shows why the own basket, although costly, did not ultimately determine the winner.
New Mexico State’s ability to force another turnover and capitalize on its final opportunity was decisive.
Emma Christiano: One Mistake That Almost Overshadowed an Entire Team
Christiano is a senior guard from Las Cruces who joined New Mexico State after previously representing New Mexico Highlands.
She wears No. 22 for the Aggies.
Her involvement in the final seconds was part of an attempt to regain possession during a critical defensive situation.
She reacted to the loose ball quickly, but the decision to finish toward the wrong hoop turned that effort into a damaging error.
The reaction on the court was immediate.
Christiano appeared shocked as the reality of the situation became clear.
For a player, few errors are more visible than accidentally scoring for the opposition, particularly when the game is nearly over.
However, the incident should not become the sole definition of Christiano’s basketball career.
College athletes operate under intense pressure, and mistakes can occur even when players are acting with urgency and attempting to help their teams.
In this case, the mistake did not result in defeat.
Her teammates responded before the final buzzer, ensuring the afternoon ended with a victory rather than a devastating loss.
Why Did the Basket Count for Southern Utah?
Basketball scoring rules award points to the team attacking the basket into which the ball enters.
When a player accidentally scores in her own team’s basket, the opposing team receives two points.
That explains why Southern Utah’s score increased from 61 to 63 despite Christiano being a New Mexico State player.
It was not a three-pointer, and New Mexico State did not receive the points.
The official electronic play-by-play records the incident as a Southern Utah team basket rather than awarding Christiano two points in her personal scoring total.
This reflects the relevant scorekeeping distinction between an accidental own basket and an ordinary field goal.
The NCAA women’s basketball rules for 2025-26 and 2026-27 provide the governing framework for the competition.
Stacy Chovino: The Freshman Who Saved New Mexico State
Stacy Chovino deserves considerably more attention than the viral mistake.
The freshman forward produced the best individual performance of the game.
She scored a career-high 25 points, collected eight rebounds and recorded two steals.
Her contribution was especially important during the fourth quarter.
Southern Utah entered the final period leading 50-39.
Chovino then helped New Mexico State produce a sustained comeback, scoring twelve points during the final quarter.
She also contributed twelve of the Aggies’ final sixteen points.
That included the final two baskets that rescued the game after Christiano’s mistake.
Chovino’s Official Box-Score Performance
| Statistic | Performance |
|---|---|
| Minutes | 36 |
| Points | 25 |
| Field goals | 12-for-20 |
| Field-goal percentage | 60.0% |
| Three-pointers | 1-for-1 |
| Rebounds | 8 |
| Steals | 2 |
| Blocks | 1 |
| Fourth-quarter points | 12 |
| Winning basket | Layup with two seconds remaining |
Her 25 points represented approximately 39.1% of New Mexico State’s final score.
That is a substantial individual contribution in a game decided by one point.
The offensive production becomes even more impressive when considering that Chovino made twelve of her twenty field-goal attempts.
Her efficiency helped New Mexico State overcome periods of poor shooting earlier in the contest.
The official New Mexico State vs Southern Utah box score confirms her statistics and the team’s scoring distribution.
The Overlooked Contribution: Raina Tomasicka’s 16 Points
Chovino was not the only player responsible for New Mexico State’s victory.
Junior guard Raina Tomasicka contributed sixteen points and seven rebounds from the bench.
She made all six of her free-throw attempts and connected on two three-pointers.
Her scoring helped the Aggies remain competitive before their late comeback.
Tomasicka had scored 24 points in the season opener against San Diego.
Her sixteen against Southern Utah therefore continued a productive start to the campaign.
Aimée Michel added ten points and five rebounds, while Lilyana Fontcha contributed six points and eight rebounds in fourteen minutes.
Those performances mattered because New Mexico State needed scoring and rebounding support across the lineup.
Chovino supplied the winning moments, but the recovery was built through contributions from several teammates.
How New Mexico State Overcame an Eleven-Point Fourth-Quarter Deficit
The Aggies’ comeback began well before the own basket.
Southern Utah raced into an 8-0 lead and finished the opening period ahead 19-10.
New Mexico State improved during the second quarter, outscoring the Thunderbirds 21-18 to cut the halftime deficit to six.
However, the visitors regained control during the third quarter.
Southern Utah finished that period with a 9-0 run and carried a 50-39 lead into the final ten minutes.
At that stage, the visitors appeared well-positioned to win.
But New Mexico State transformed its offensive performance in the fourth quarter.
Quarter-by-Quarter Scorecard
| Quarter | Southern Utah | New Mexico State | Margin After Quarter |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | 19 | 10 | Southern Utah +9 |
| Second | 18 | 21 | Southern Utah +6 |
| Third | 13 | 8 | Southern Utah +11 |
| Fourth | 13 | 25 | New Mexico State win by one |
| Final | 63 | 64 | New Mexico State +1 |
New Mexico State scored 25 points in the fourth quarter after managing only eight during the third.
That is an increase of seventeen points between consecutive periods.
The Aggies also outscored Southern Utah by twelve in the final quarter, exactly enough to overturn the eleven-point deficit and win by one.
TSE original calculation: New Mexico State generated 39.1% of its total points in the final quarter, scoring 25 of its 64 points during those ten minutes.
The comeback therefore resulted from sustained fourth-quarter improvement, not merely two fortunate baskets at the end.
New Mexico State vs Southern Utah: Team Statistics Explain the Comeback
The two teams finished with relatively close overall statistics, but several differences stand out.
New Mexico State held a six-rebound advantage and scored fourteen more points in the paint.
The Aggies also produced seven fast-break points while Southern Utah finished with none.
Both teams committed sixteen turnovers.
That makes the late possessions especially significant because each side had struggled to protect the ball at various stages.
| Statistic | New Mexico State | Southern Utah |
|---|---|---|
| Points | 64 | 63 |
| Field goals | 24-for-57 | 20-for-53 |
| Field-goal percentage | 42.1% | 37.7% |
| Three-pointers | 4-for-13 | 5-for-15 |
| Free throws | 12-for-17 | 16-for-21 |
| Rebounds | 38 | 32 |
| Points in the paint | 40 | 26 |
| Fast-break points | 7 | 0 |
| Second-chance points | 16 | 11 |
| Turnovers | 16 | 16 |
| Points off turnovers | 18 | 16 |
The Southern Utah box score contains an important scoring detail.
Its player field-goal and free-throw totals account for 61 points. The additional two points came from Christiano’s accidental own basket and were recorded as team points.
That explains why Southern Utah’s final score was 63 even though the individual player-scoring totals add up to 61.
It is an unusual but important distinction for anyone checking the official statistics.
Southern Utah’s Denver Anderson Nearly Had the Winning Moment
Southern Utah also produced a strong late-game response before the own-basket incident.
Denver Anderson hit a three-pointer with approximately 73 seconds remaining to put the Thunderbirds ahead 61-58.
The shot appeared capable of deciding the game.
New Mexico State responded at the free-throw line, reducing the deficit to one.
Southern Utah then attempted to protect its advantage in the closing seconds.
The ensuing inbound sequence created the opportunity for Christiano’s own basket.
At 63-60, the visitors were suddenly three points ahead with only seconds remaining.
The Thunderbirds needed one more successful defensive possession to preserve their advantage.
Instead, turnovers and Chovino’s quick scoring allowed New Mexico State to complete its comeback.
Ava Uhrich led Southern Utah with nineteen points and eight rebounds, while Bella Hasan contributed eleven points.
The visitors therefore had several important performers, but their inability to close the contest proved decisive.
Another Wrong Basket on the Same Day: Karma Wynn’s Mistake Against Arkansas
Christiano’s error was not the only unusual basketball incident on Friday.
During Northwestern State’s game against Arkansas, guard Karma Wynn also accidentally scored into her own team’s basket.
That incident occurred during the first quarter rather than in the final seconds.
Northwestern State eventually lost by thirty points, meaning the two-point mistake was not central to the final outcome.
The New Mexico State incident was considerably more dramatic because the game was decided by one point and the error happened with only seconds remaining.
Both plays circulated widely on social media.
The coincidence gave basketball supporters two remarkably similar moments in separate games on the same day.
But the aftermath was completely different.
One team lost heavily, while the other recovered to win despite the mistake.
Why Viral Mistakes Should Not Erase the Athletes’ Actual Performances
Basketball highlights often focus on the most unexpected or embarrassing moment.
Christiano’s own basket fits that pattern because it was visually unusual and occurred during a critical part of the game.
However, reducing the entire contest to one player’s mistake would ignore New Mexico State’s comeback and Southern Utah’s performance over the first three quarters.
It would also overlook the winning contribution from Chovino.
Her 25 points, fourth-quarter scoring and decisive putback provide a more complete sporting explanation of the result.
The incident illustrates how a single viral highlight can dominate discussion even when the actual outcome tells a very different story.
Women’s Basketball Is Producing More Than Viral Moments
The unusual play arrived during a period of growing attention around women’s basketball.
The Sports Encounter recently examined Stephanie Okechukwu’s historic debut for Texas Tech, another NCAA women’s basketball story drawing national interest for very different reasons.
At the international level, Caitlin Clark’s performance against China at the Women’s Basketball World Cup highlighted the increasing attention paid to leading American players.
The professional game has also enjoyed major milestones. The Sports Encounter documented record WNBA viewing and attendance figures, followed by Golden State’s dramatic Game 7 championship victory.
That championship offered another example of a player taking control in the final minutes, although at a very different level. Gabby Williams delivered a remarkable second-half performance for Golden State, while Chovino produced the deciding late baskets for New Mexico State.
The parallels concern resilience and late-game execution, not the equivalence of the competitions.
Related TSE Women’s Basketball Coverage
Readers following women’s basketball developments can also explore TSE’s WNBA Finals tactical preview, its analysis of Angel Reese’s 30-point Finals performance and its coverage of the league’s leading defenders.
The commercial growth surrounding the sport was covered through WNBA Finals ticket-demand analysis, record television audiences for the Finals opener and the historic Game 7 audience.
Those stories show the breadth of current women’s basketball coverage, from college athletes and international competition to professional championship performances.
Adeniyi Amadou Earns His First Victory as New Mexico State Coach
The comeback also delivered an important milestone for New Mexico State’s new head coach.
Adeniyi Amadou earned his first career victory leading the Aggies.
The result came after an opening defeat to San Diego, making Southern Utah the team’s first opportunity to recover from a disappointing start.
Amadou’s players were forced to respond repeatedly.
They fell behind early, recovered during the second quarter, lost ground again in the third and finally completed the comeback in the fourth.
The final seconds provided an extreme test of concentration.
A team could easily have allowed the own-basket mistake to become the defining moment.
Instead, New Mexico State forced another chance and turned it into victory.
The performance gives the coaching staff useful evidence about the team’s competitiveness under pressure, although one win is not enough to establish how the full season will develop.
What Comes Next for New Mexico State Women’s Basketball?
The Aggies are scheduled to visit UTEP on Tuesday, November 10, with tipoff set for 7 p.m. Mountain Time.
The rivalry game will provide another test of Amadou’s young team.
Chovino enters the contest after a career-high scoring performance.
Tomasicka has produced two consecutive strong offensive contributions.
New Mexico State will also need to address the defensive and possession-management problems that allowed Southern Utah to control so much of Friday’s game.
The comeback is valuable, but the team cannot expect to survive repeated eleven-point deficits through extraordinary final-second recoveries.
The goal against UTEP should be a more complete performance across all four quarters.
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Who scored into New Mexico State’s own basket?
Senior guard Emma Christiano accidentally scored into New Mexico State’s basket against Southern Utah on November 6, 2026.
How much time was left when the mistake happened?
Approximately 20 seconds remained in the fourth quarter.
What was the score before the own basket?
New Mexico State trailed Southern Utah 61-60.
What happened to the score after Christiano’s layup?
Southern Utah received two points and moved ahead 63-60.
Did New Mexico State lose the game?
No. The Aggies recovered and won 64-63.
Who scored the winning basket?
Stacy Chovino scored the winning layup with two seconds remaining.
How many points did Chovino score?
She finished with a career-high 25 points and eight rebounds.
How long did New Mexico State lead?
The Aggies led for only the final two seconds of the game.
Who was Southern Utah’s leading scorer?
Ava Uhrich led the Thunderbirds with nineteen points.
Did another player score into her own basket on the same day?
Yes. Northwestern State’s Karma Wynn accidentally scored into her team’s basket during a game against Arkansas.
Does an accidental own basket count for the other team?
Yes. The opponent receives two points, with the scoring handled according to the applicable NCAA statistical rules.
When does New Mexico State play next?
The Aggies are scheduled to face UTEP on November 10, 2026.
The Sports Encounter Verdict: When You Don’t Need Enemies, You Need Teammates Who Refuse to Quit
Emma Christiano’s own basket was an extraordinary mistake.
It happened at precisely the moment when New Mexico State needed to protect every possession.
The senior guard reacted to a loose ball, finished a layup and watched Southern Utah’s lead increase instead of disappear.
The shock was understandable.
But the remarkable part of the afternoon was not that a player scored in the wrong basket.
It was that her team still found a way to win.
Stacy Chovino delivered a career-high 25 points and scored the game’s final four points after the mistake.
New Mexico State overcame an eleven-point fourth-quarter deficit, forced another late turnover and claimed the lead with two seconds remaining.
Christiano’s error will probably remain the most widely shared clip from the contest.
But the official score records something far more important.
New Mexico State 64, Southern Utah 63.
One extraordinary mistake. One even more extraordinary comeback.
And a reminder that sometimes the teammates who rescue you become more important than the moment everyone remembers.
